


Like Me

by mthevlamister



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Big Brother Magnus, Canon Trans Character, I'm about to hurt our beautiful magic boy, Like, Lup is canon trans, Not Awful, Other, but pretty bad, fucking fight me, maybe a smidge bad, not terrible, third person, ya know
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-09-17 13:24:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16975392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mthevlamister/pseuds/mthevlamister
Summary: Angus McDonald didn't mind getting hurt.Or:hell yeah, big bro Magnus





	1. Angus Gets Hurt

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope I don't drop this like everything else I do.

Angus McDonald didn't mind getting hurt. He didn't enjoy it, but it wasn't the worst thing that could happen to him. He experienced his fair share of scrapes and cuts whilst working as a detective. Having teeth knocked out after being thrown out of a train hurt like hell, but he didn't mind. Even when he fought The Hunger, he was fine afterwards. He didn't mind being hurt.

But now?

"Fuck!"

Angus was still on the moon base, visiting for Candlenights. He was about thirteen now; it wasn't too long after the battle. He was relaxing, really. Just inspecting a cursed object he obtained a few weeks prior. He wasn't being careful, and he managed to cut off three fingers. Not just any fingers. His fingers. This led to his outburst in his room and hasty exit to find any healer. Merle would even do. In fact, Angus began to call for Merle as he held back tears and ran down the hallway. It hurt so much; how did anyone put up with this?

Some quick backstory. Angus found a spherical object with buttons on it during one of his latest missions; nothing too big, just thought it looked cool. He spent the last couple weeks playing with it, pressing buttons in particular orders. Most outcomes were little fire spurts or a spike that just poked his fingers. Hundreds of codes, and nothing happened until this day, when--instead of burns or pokes--a knife popped out and sliced through his fingers like they were fantasy butter. Angus had no time to move or react, but he had enough time to think of all the ways this was going to be bad. 

"Merle?" he tried again, rushing down the corridors and to where Tres Horny Boys stayed when they were visiting. "Merle, are you here?"

"Ango! Where have you been?" Magnus was sitting on his bed, smiling. He was carving a duck, unaware of all the bleeding Angus at his door. Angus was close to passing out, but that was no excuse to not be polite.

"Hello sir! I've been in my room working on a puzzle. Is Merle here, by any chance?" Angus held up his hand that lost the three fingers. "I need him to help me with this."

Magnus finally looked up and blinked twice. The realization kicked in finally, and Magnus dropped his duck and knife. He grabbed Angus' arm, holding it up to inspect the missing fingers. There was a sense of worry in his eyes. A sincere care and fear settled on his face. "What kind of puzzle were you working on?!"

"Well sir, it was a weird sphere I found during a mission. My hand really hurts, sir. Can Merle maybe make it stop hurting? I know he can't heal it, but maybe stop all the pain?"

Magnus didn't say anything, he just seemed to focus on the missing fingers. Angus looked at him expectantly, waiting. Finally, without warning, the silence was broken, and he spoke. "I rolled a nineteen plus one, so that's a twenty."

"Sir what are you talking about?" Angus asked as Magnus ran and got something off Merle's bed. "Sir?"

Magnus worked quickly and silently, cleaning the wounds and wrapping them up. He looked at Angus, who was still holding back tears, and calmly said, "Ango, go ahead. Cry, scream, pass out, do whatever you need to. Merle will be back soon to do some magic shit and heal you. I'm going to pick you up now; keep your hand up. We're going to go get your fingers and try to keep them fresh. It's scary; I know. You don't need to hold it in, okay? Can you nod for me?" Magnus was already holding Angus like a koala bear on his chest, waiting for a nod. He felt a chin move up and down on his shoulder. "Let it out. You did a good job staying strong."

Angus began to cry on Magnus' shoulder, hiding his face in both shame and fear. He was thirteen; he wasn't supposed to cry, yet there he was, crying like it was okay. It was, according to Magnus, who kept talking to him the whole way.

"When I lost Julia, I sobbed like a newborn. I wanted nothing more than to go back and save her. I just cried and cried until I could stop."

"This isn't as--"

"Angus, don't say this isn't as bad. I almost took a penalty in Wonderland because I had to lose a finger. It's a different battle for everyone. Merle  _still_ reminds me of his damn arm. I can't catch a break with him. He peed his pants on our mission in Phandalin. Everyone shows fear and pain; it's okay, buddy."

Angus nodded again, feeling his vision get hazy. "Magnus?"

And he passed out.

* * *

When Angus woke up, he was in his room. Merle, Magnus, and Taako were standing over him, mumbling to each other. Angus, still partially asleep, could pick up only a few of the things they said.

"...called me Magnus instead sir, must've been out of it. I think..."

"Poor little boy... Can't even..."

"...chop his damn fingers off?!" 

"I didn't do anything to his fingers!" Magnus' voice was the first voice one Angus heard clearly. 

"Magnus?" Angus mumbled softly, starting to sit up. He looked at his hand, frowning. His fingers were gone. He lost his fingers. He looked up, seeing the three men staring. "Oh, hello sirs."

"Hello Agnes. Bubbela, what do you remember?" Taako asked, leaning down. 

"Magnus helped me." Angus said, looking at said man. "Before that I was experimenting with some sphere I found. It cut off three of my fingers. It really hurt, but I'm thirteen, so I don't care about that. I can take a hit."

"Don't act like tough shit, kid." Merle grumbled, shaking his head. "Losing body parts hurt."

"I lost my pinky in Wonderland." Magnus said to Merle; Merle just scowled back.

"Then I'm like you, sort of." Angus had a small smile; it was one of hope, and it had a bit of want in it. He wanted to be like Magnus. His smile vanished as he looked at Magnus' hand. "Oh, wait."

"No, no. Ango, you're just like me. I may have my finger back now, but--"

"If anything, he's like me. I don't have my arm!" Merle interrupted, looking at Angus. "Oh, and Angus? We didn't save the fingers. I'm sorry, bud. It was too late by the time we got here. Also Magnus rolled real bad on medicine this time. He put them directly in the ice, and they won't be good. I can always ask Pan for wooden fingers, if you want."

"No. I'm alright. I'll just learn to do without this hand." Angus said, looking at his hand. Whatever the boys did, he just had three little knuckles and no open wounds. "I can, um, work on the puzzle again. No repercussions this time. Yeah, that works! No repercussions!"

"Hey, don't rush--" Taako stopped talking, almost out of shock. He almost told Angus not to 'not rush in' as someone would tell Magnus. "Yeah, sure. I don't care; Taako's good out here."

"What? No! Ango, you can't work on that. Taako, what if he gets hurt again?" Magnus looked between Taako and Merle. "Merle, you can't be okay with this--"

"He's the smartest kid in the world or whatever; he knows what he's doing." Merle said with a shrug, waddling to the door. "You coming?"

"Hell yeah! Nap time for Taako!" Taako patted Angus on the head and followed Merle out. Angus looked at Magnus, waiting.

"Well, sir, are you going too?"

"Angus, call me Magnus; it's better." Magnus ruffled the boy's hair. "I'm gonna help with the puzzle. We'll figure it out together."

"Okay," Angus smiled at him, standing to get the sphere. He felt dizzy again, and sat back down. "Nope, not yet."

"How about we take a nap, too?" Magnus grabbed a book from Angus' desk. "I'll read you to sleep."

"Okay, Magnus." Angus nodded, moving to curl under the covers. "Magnus?"

"Yes?" Magnus sat on the bed, book out.

"Thank you."

Magnus smiled and began to read. He must've made it halfway through the book before there was a soft snoring sound next to him. He moved on to the floor and stayed there for two hours before falling asleep himself, hoping Angus wouldn't hurt himself like that again. As happy as he was to have Angus be like him, he didn't want the kid to go through what he did.

If that was the case, he would have to protect Angus with everything he had.


	2. Magnus Gets Protective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next few days were different for Angus, to say the least.
> 
> Or:
> 
> Magnus is protective big bro

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love that Lup is canon trans because I'm canon trans!

The next few days were different for Angus, to say the least.

Magnus was always by his side. When Angus went to get food, Magnus would. When Angus wanted to read, Magnus would carve in the same room. Magnus even invited Angus to training with him and Carey, and who was Angus to turn down free training? When the training turned into carving lessons, Angus watched with excitement and curiosity. It was weird, but it wasn't bad. Angus actually liked hanging out with Magnus. Sure, he still sometimes took things away from Angus, but Magnus was still protective. It got to the point where sometimes Magnus wouldn't let Merle get near Angus, claiming he would hurt the boy. Angus didn't mind it, but sometimes Magnus went overboard.

"Okay, so I'll sit here and watch you fight whatever Lucas made for training." Magnus said, sitting on the ground whilst Angus held his wand with his good hand. "If you need help, I'm here."

"Thanks Magnus!" Angus said with a smile; almost--as if it was a second thought--Angus ran up and gave Magnus a hug before returning to his spot  A medium sized robot came out brandishing a sword. Angus mumbled something, and a big bolt of lightning came out of his wand. The robot, though damaged now, moved towards the young boy, swinging the sword. Angus had little time to duck out of the way, but he managed. Magnus felt his gut begin to stir, worry taking over. Angus shot a few more bolts of lightning, and he was about to conjure a fireball--a spell Lup must've taught him--when the robot lifted the sword. Without thinking, Magnus rushed over and held a shield over the two of them. The robot was blocked, and Magnus kicked it to the other side of the room before throwing Angus over his shoulder and walking out the door. Angus looked up, seeing the robot shut itself off. He turned his head up slightly, furrowing his brow. "Magnus?"

"It was too close." Magnus said, and that was the end of that conversation.

It happened again two days after. Angus was sitting, eating lunch, when Robbie came over. He had a sly grin, and showed Angus a bottle. Angus knew what Robbie was offering, and he was debating whether or not he wanted to try a potion from Robbie. Angus shook his head, and Robbie shrugged before offering him pringles. It was fine until Magnus saw Robbie reaching into his bag. Magnus rushed over, sitting next to Angus, and gave Robbie the nastiest glare he could muster. Angus, knowing he should just accept Magnus' protection, sighed and shook his head at Robbie. The halfling muttered that he was "just giving him pringles" and sulked away. Angus smiled at Magnus before returning to his lunch.

It wasn't bad, though. Angus still had his fun, just as long as Magnus was there. For example, Angus got to try mead for the first time. Magnus mumbled something about him needing to keep his intelligence modifiers, but Angus ignored that. Plus, when Angus had nightmares, he could just barge into Magnus' room and curl in his bed. Magnus never protested, and sometimes offered to sleep in Angus' room so the boy wouldn't have to leave his room late at night. It became clear to everyone--whether they were at the B.O.B or just seeing the two in Neverwinter--that Magnus wouldn't put up with anyone's shit.

Needless to say, Angus was wary of knives after he lost his fingers, but Magnus was even more cautious. He reminded everyone about Angus' small fear of knives. When someone pointed out Angus had Magnus' grandfather's knife, Magnus almost punched them. That had symbolic meaning. Angus was okay with that. If Angus wanted to give it back, he could. Magnus already offered to take it back if it caused him discomfort (as did Taako and Merle, but for different reasons), and the answer was always no. 

Angus was confused to say the least, but he did enjoy the company. He was watching Magnus train again, this time it was a fight instead of his rouge training. It was quiet, except for the swords hitting one another. Angus was humming whilst watching, kicking his legs. This fight has been going for about five minutes, and Angus had a timer going to see how long it would last. Angus didn't register the fact that Lup sneaked in next to him. Angus only realized when she tapped his shoulder, grinning.

"Oh! Hello, ma'am!" Angus said with a smile.

"Hey little dude. What do you say we make something for Magnus after his victory? We both know he's going to still be fighting by the time you get back. He won't even notice you left." Lup whispered with a smile.

Angus looked at Magnus, then Lup. He nodded before placing down the timer. "I should tell Magnus."

"Let's surprise him! Come on!" 

Angus allowed himself to be ushered out of the training room and into the kitchen. Angus felt bad, of course, but he was excited to make food with Lup. "Ma'am, what are we making?"

"Turkish delight! It's his favorite, you know!" Lup winked, getting ingredients out. "Think Maggie will kill me for stealing you?"

"He might."

"You know you remind him of himself when he was younger, right? That's why he's protective. You're, like, his little brother, or something like that."

Angus nodded because, well, he knew that. The only reason Magnus got all protective was because of his hand. It triggered something in the man. Lup gave him a look before beginning to cook and continuing.

"How is your hand?"

"Oh, you know, doesn't hurt. I'm getting used to not have three of my fingers, but it's not my dominant hand, so that's good. Why do you ask?"

Lup hummed before adding something to her bowl. "I know what it's like to miss a body part. I'm a lich. I've been in that form before. Without parts of my body. I also know what it's like to not have the right parts." Lup looked down, frowning. "Thank gods for magic, am I right?"

"Of course, ma'am."

"Okay, now we just put this bad boy over a stove and pray to the Raven Queen I did this correctly. Magnus may have noticed you were gone, I don't know. Help me out here."

Angus nodded and got to work helping Lup. They finished up quickly, taking only one each for themselves. Lup sent Angus back, claiming she would clean everything up for him. He headed back to the training room, where Magnus had yet to stop his battling. Angus let out a breath of relief and sat down, thankful that the man didn't notice his absence. His watch said two hours now, so hopefully it was almost over. Five minutes later, and Magnus had defeated whatever he was fighting and turned to Angus. He glanced at the treats next to the boy. "Are those for me?"

"Uh-huh!" Angus said with a big smile. "Miss Lup and I made them for you!"

"Oh, cool! Want to share them?"

"Yeah!"

Magnus sat next to Angus and ate all the sweets with him. Angus smiled as sweet stuck to his tooth for a second before slipping back to the rest of the chewed up candy. It was quiet for a bit, just the sound of chewing, until Magnus interrupted. "When did you make these?"

"Between the five minute mark and one hour, forty five minute mark of your total fight time. We snuck out to make you a treat! I had trouble stirring, but I managed!" Angus was proud of himself. Magnus liked the treat! He did something right!

"Taako was wrong. You make great food! Wait, let me call Taako and Merle. I want them to try this." Magnus fished out his new stone of farspeech (he had to get new ones; he missed his friends) and held it to his face. "Hey, Ango made good shit. You have to try it. No, it's not a potion. Don't suggest that. Okay, I got fucked up one time. One time! Just get to the training room."

Angus stayed quiet, only moving towards Magnus' side slightly. Magnus looked at him and put an arm around him, giving his hair a ruffle. Angus stared at his hands, poking at the stumps that were on his one hand. Magnus continued to talk into his stone, arguing that the food was really good, and if Taako wasn't nice, he should keep quiet. Two minutes later, and Taako and Merle burst through the doors. Taako mumbled something about how the food better taste good. Merle just waddled over and tried it.

"It's pretty good. Huh!" Merle took another. "Lup help?"

"Yes, sir, she did." 

"Oh, dunk." Taako grabbed two and popped them in his mouth. "Hell yeah; good shit. Better than those macaroons you made. I'll take ten of these."

Angus had a small, smug smile on his face. Merle noted it and snorted. "Lup made most of it, didn't she?"

Angus' smile vanished. "Yes, she did."

"Back off, Merle." Magnus snapped, frowning. "Ango worked hard on these."

"Okay, okay. Forget I said anything." Merle grumbled, taking another one. 

"Lup always forgets to dust the right amount of sugar on top, so I assume you did that? Absolutely perfect, bubelah. These are great!" Taako patted the boy on his head. "Don't tell Lup I said that. She will fireball my ass into nothing!"

"Your secret is safe with me, sir!" 

"Now if you excuse us, Merle said his kids want to learn basic spells. Apparently his teaching methods aren't working. Such a surprise, am I right?" Taako grabbed Merle's shoulders and guided him out of the room. There were protests, of course, but the two were gone in no time. Magnus frowned before looking at Angus.

"You're great at cooking. Merle's being stupid."

"It's okay, Magnus. I don't think he means any of that. It's like how he threatened to kill me with the adamant spanner. He doesn't mean it anymore. He may have once, but not now."

"He threatened you with a what now?!"

"It's okay, Magnus." Angus repeated before yawning. "Can we take a nap?"

"Yeah, sure." Magnus answered before picking Angus up and exiting the room, leaving the candies.

"I can walk."

"Yep!"

Angus sighed and closed his eyes. He might as well begin the nap if Magnus was just going to carry him.

He rather enjoyed being Magnus' little brother.


	3. Angus Goes to School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He took a pacifist route for the most part. So when kids beat him up, Angus let them. He didn't need to protect himself, only those who needed protection.
> 
> Or:
> 
> Yeah, I'm having fun. One more chapter after this, probs.  
> Maybe two?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking of doing a modern-day adoption AU.

Angus liked school. He loved learning, and he loved telling people what he learned. The only downside was that there was no one to protect him from bullies. Don't get him wrong! He's been training with Magnus on the side. He was getting strong, but he didn't like hurting people. He took a pacifist route for the most part. So when kids beat him up, Angus let them. He didn't need to protect himself, only those who needed protection. He learnt that from Magnus as well.

There was, surprisingly, another downside.

Angus missed Magnus more now that he lost three fingers. He was an easier target, surprisingly. Kids found new ways to bully him, and he just wanted that to end. He was famous, sure, but people knew he kept pursuing his friendship with THB. People called him needy and annoying. They didn't really know that Angus was basically Magnus' adopted brother. They didn't know he visited the B.O.B on breaks and holidays. They just knew that he was a nuisance for far too long. His peers criticised him for being a nosy, little detective.

"Ango! How's school?" Magnus' voice crackled out of the stone of farspeech Angus had in front of him. He was doing homework, frowning as he read the textbook. Angus was tired. He hadn't been sleeping well since going to school. Nightmares about the Hunger and about losing his fingers. He was having trouble with using knives, too. "Angus?"

"Oh, it's alright. I've still been doing all my work, and I found time lift weights like you said I should. It's difficult with the one hand. How are the dogs?"

"Loud and proud! I want you to visit them soon, since we only really meet on the moon where they're not allowed." Magnus said, and Angus could hear his eye roll. "Johann wants to say hi!"

A dog barked in the background before Magnus continued. "Can I visit you sometime?"

Angus glanced at the door to his room and bit his pencil. "Probably not? People will get too excited when you show up. I don't feel like having twelve million people in my room." 

"Well, what about Johann visiting?" 

"You would have to be here--are you trying to tell me something?" Another bark, but it sounded like it was outside of Angus' room. "Magnus, you didn't."

"Open up; Johann wants to see you." Magnus' voice came from outside of the door. Angus let out a sigh before opening the door and being tackled by a dog. Magnus let out a big laugh before stepping in the room. "Ango!"

"I wish you told me before you got here." Angus sat up, petting the dog. "Hi Johann."

The dog barked.

"Hey, Ango, why are you holed up in your room? Don't you have friends to be with? You made friends at the bureau so quickly!"

Angus kept petting the dog, not saying a word. 

"Angus?" Magnus pushed, smile fading slowly. The kid had to have friends.

"Yeah, I'm doing things solo. Building my own brand as Taako would say." Angus shrugged, not looking Magnus in the eyes. "I'm good out here."

"Okay, I lived over a hundred years with--as Taako called us--'the Taakos'. Everyone is usually lying. Lucretia is the only one we can actually listen to. She and Davenport are the responsible ones; the rest of us are idiots. You know Taako loves being around people; he just doesn't admit it. You're smart enough to know this. What happened?"

"Well word got out about all your adventures including Rockport, and people think I'm a nosy little shit. It sucks, Magnus." 

"Fuck them!"

Angus snorted, finally standing up and hugging the man. "Yeah, fuck 'em."

"I came out all this way to see my boy, and no chucklefucks are going to ruin that."

"Thanks Magnus; it means a lot."

* * *

It was weird, to say the least. Having to explain to classmate after classmate that no, Angus didn't force him to come here. He was there on his own free will. Magnus got uncomfortable after the first four. He kept telling people Angus was his brother because that was the truth, and Ango deserved friends at school. Angus held Johann's leash for Magnus whilst on their walk around campus; it was the least he could do after the man went through all the trouble of visiting. Once people were told the truth, Magnus began to ramble aimlessly about Carey and her plans for some event with Killian. He paused for a moment, looking at Angus. "Hey, quick question."

"Yeah?" Angus asked, yawning.

"When was the last time you slept?" 

"Last night," Angus yawned again. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the entire truth.

Magnus froze, and Angus squinted at him. He was about to say something, but then Magnus looked at the sky. "Nat twenty, so Angus, you have to tell me the truth."

Angus didn't know what 'nat twenty' meant, but he felt compelled to tell the truth for some reason. "I got four hours last night. I can't sleep through the night anymore. It's because of nightmares. I don't have anyone to talk about them with, so I just stay up and study. I also can't cut things anymore, so I've been eating anything I don't need knives for. Mostly fantasy granola bars, but I'm sick of those. I'm kind of worn out, sir."

"We've been over this. Just Magnus. Now, what do you say we take a nap. I'll be right there, so you can talk about nightmares if you need to."

Angus nodded and lifted his arms out of instinct. Magnus picked him up without a second thought and went back to his room. Angus quickly fell asleep, and Magnus went out and bought him actual food. He made it back four minutes before Angus woke up from a nightmare, and they talked about it over a plate of grilled cheese.

Hopefully the kid would be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was a persuasion roll.


	4. Magnus Adopts Angus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Candlenights y'all!

Angus McDonald never really saw his parents after the Rockport Limited. He never bothered to call or visit. For all he cared, his parents didn't care about him. His lack of concern ended one day. He had to call them. He had to ask them for a favor. It was a big one too.

Angus McDonald had to ask his parents to sign forms that legally made Magnus his guardian.

Magnus, Taako, Merle, Lup, Barry, and Angus were sitting on a train to visit Angus' parents. Angus didn't know why so many people came, but he was too focused on his book to let people know. He wasn't reading the book; he just stared at the cover, trying to focus on the image rather than his fears and troubles. Magnus placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it, not looking at the boy. What if Angus' parents said no? What if they took him out of school? What if something really bad happened? There was an energy on the train car; it was an energy that swept through everyone in their car, and made the air thick.

"Worst thing is we kill your parents." Merle said with a shrug, finally breaking the silence. "That sounds easy."

"Or forgery? Let's not murder a bunch of people?" Barry offered, smiling a bit. "Lup'll go all robot world on us."

"We'll get arrested for forgery, Barold." Taako hummed out, checking his nails. "We can get away with murder."

"Maybe they'll say yes! Maybe we have a happy ending for once!" Magnus smiled, squeezing Angus' shoulder again. "Team us!"

"This our stop," Lup said, standing up. "Come on, let's go."

Angus stood up, preparing for his day. 

It would be a long one.

* * *

"You come home to ask to leave?" Angus' mother looked at the papers, a shocked look on her face. "And... which will adopt you?"

Angus pointed at Magnus, losing the will to speak. Magnus nodded quickly, looking the mother in the eyes. "Ango and I are like brothers, and I want to make sure he gets the best support from me and you. I want to be his guardian because I have been for awhile now. I've been taking care of him since he lost his fingers."

Angus' mother glanced down at his hand, inhaling sharply. "Oh, Angus."

"Magnus has been a great brother! Please, ma'am, let him be my guardian! We don't have to tell anyone! Your name won't be slandered!" 

Angus' mother stood up, pacing slightly. Magnus instinctively pulled Angus close when she got closer. "You're human, right? It's not the elfs or dwarf taking care of him?"

"We have names, you know?" Lup hissed out. "Hi! I'm Lup, you know, from saving your fucking world?"

"Of course; I apologize."

Taako was trying not to blast her with magic missles. He was close, don't get him wrong, but Lup put her hand on his shoulder. 

"Ma'am, can he please--" Angus cut himself off as his father entered the room. His plan was going to shit. "Just sign them."

"Angus? I thought you were dead--who are these people?" Angus' father's voice lacked concern. He sounded more upset that Angus was there rather than anything else. "Why are--"

"Angus wants to be adopted by the human there. I say we let him." Angus' mother hummed, signing her name on the paper. "Darling, you sign too."

"Fine, yeah, okay."

"You'd willingly give away your fucking child?!" Lup said before thinking, standing up. "Monsters! At least give it some thought! Yeah, we want the boy, but what if we were going to sacrifice him in a ritual?!" 

"You're part of the seven birds! We know you--"

"You know jackshit about us!" Lup continued, and she sat down again, frowning. "Fucking monsters; come on, sign it."

"Lup, I love this, but I want them to sign it." Magnus said, smiling. "Don't convince them not to."

"Ma'am, it's important I get adopted." Angus whispered to Lup, who groaned and ruffled his hair.

"Just sign the shit," she concluded, closing her eyes.

With a little more hesitation, Angus' father signed the sheet.

* * *

"So you polish it next."

"Polish..."

"How are those prosthetics working? We had to strike a deal with your god for those."

"I'm getting used to using them."

Angus was at Magnus' shop, helping with an order of tables. He did this before, but it was the first time with his new fingers. He was teaching at Taako's school now, but it was break and there was a lot to do with Magnus. Magnus stopped his carving and walked over, sitting next to the boy. "How's working out going?"

Angus flexed his arms, smiling. "I think I'll be stronger than you soon."

"Not happening, not unless Griffin wants to fight me."

"Who's--"

"Let's finish up this order, okay?"

Angus nodded, looking back down at the table.

Angus McDonald didn't mind what happened in the past. Getting hurt was scarring, yes, but he still believed some god planned that for him. He experienced his fair share of nightmares and having to ask Magnus to cut his food during the last few years of being adopted. Working with his new fingers was difficult, but he didn't mind. He didn't think he would ever have to face a problem like this again.

Well, until Magnus died, but Angus was sure he would be at Magnus' side, and Kravitz would take him to Julia.

Angus was sure of it because he was like Magnus, and that's what he would have wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Deleted scene:
> 
> "Fuck you," Magnus pointed at Angus' mother, frowning. "And you," he pointed at Angus' father. "All of you! Not you, you're cool." Magnus said to a dog that poked its head out of the kitchen.


End file.
